Stay
by chillywinterbreeze
Summary: Dean goes to a bar, hoping to pick up a girl for the night, but when he sets his sights on a woman, someone slips something into her drink. Trigger warnings will be added as needed. CURRENT TRIGGER WARNINGS: Mentions of rape, brief mentions of child abuse
1. Chapter 1

**Hello, Darlings! I know, I haven't updated Don't Let Him Find Out or Wayward Child in a while.. School's got me stretched in ten different directions and some jackass is spreading rumours again. Oh the joy of high school. Anyway, the inspiration fairy isn't cooperating with those stories at the moment, but I really am trying to get something out.**

**This is based on an RP I did with someone on Omegle. The prompt for that was "Dean goes into a bar and flirts with a girl. Someone has slipped a date rape drug into her drink." Set pre-series. Hope you like it.**

**Depending on whether or not anyone likes it, this may or may not end up being a multi chapter story.**

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><p>Dean scanned the bar for "hot chicks" upon arrival, his eyes settling on a dark haired woman in a pair of worn blue jeans and a leather jacket. She was sitting alone at the bar, holding a shot glass in one hand. He decided to approach her.<p>

"So you like your liquor," the woman shrugged, not looking up at him, "Mind if I sit with you?"

She shrugged again, but looked at him this time, "Sure."

He took the stool beside her and flagged down the bartender, ordering whatever the girl had got. He got a shot glass full of whiskey, raising it to the girl, "Well, to a good night."

The girl's blue eyes flicked up to his and held his gaze as she mirrors his action and tosses back the drink, "I'm Rhiannon. Rhia for short. I didn't catch your name."

"I'm Dean," he answered with a flirty grin. Then he glanced around the bar, "If you don't mind me asking, what are you doing here alone so late at night? It'd be safer if you had someone with you."

She looked at him, eyelids slightly drooping, "I like this bar," she slurred. Dean sat back a bit. Alcohol took longer than that to take effect, and Rhia had been perfectly sober a second ago. He was dealing with something else.

"Rhia, where do you live?" he asked quietly.

"Ith'nk 've b'n drugged," she slurred. Her eyelids grew heavier, and she started to tip forward before Dean grabbed her by her shoulders.

"Think, Rhia. I need to get you out of here. What is your address?" he pleaded, not wanting to take her to the motel he was staying at.

"49 Jac'bs'n str't," she muttered before falling forward, head hitting his shoulder.

Dean tossed a small wad of cash on the counter before gathering the barely conscious Rhiannon into his arms and making his way out the door and walking towards Jacobsen Street as quickly as he could manage. He didn't like how vulnerable they were like this. If somebody came after them, he'd be completely helpless to protect them.

Three blocks down, he came to a little white house marked 49. It took him a minute to dig the key out of Rhia's pocket without dropping her, but once he did, he quickly brought her in and kicked the door shut.

All the doors were closed, so Dean laid Rhia onto the couch while he locked the door. Then he started looking for her bedroom, which turned out to be the last door in the hallway. Dean headed back into the living room and got Rhia, who was now completely unconscious, before putting her to bed.

He laid the drugged girl on her side, in case she threw up, and poured her a glass of water from the kitchen. Then, not wanting to leave her alone but also not wanting to scare her when she woke up, he sat down on the unoccupied side of the bed and started playing a game on his phone.

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><p>Six hours later, Rhia finally woke up with a fuzzy, pounding head and an awful knot in her stomach. But even with that, the first thing she noticed was the stranger sitting in her bed.<p>

She bolted upright, an action that she learned was a mistake when a wave of dizziness washed over her. Dean seemed to notice it instantly, because he didn't hesitate to put a steady hand between her shoulder blades.

"Take it easy," he said softly, "Do you remember anything from last night?"

Rhia shook her head. He nodded and patiently explained what happened, "My name is Dean. We met at the bar last night. Somebody drugged you, so I took you home and kept an eye on you. Do you know who you are?"

She raised her eyebrows in surprise. He didn't even know her name? How did he know where she lived? Then he told her that he was making sure that the drug hadn't messed up her head, so she answered quietly.

"Rhiannon Walker."

"What's your street address?"

"49 Jacobsen Street."

He held up three fingers and made her tell him the number. Then he asked her to touch her nose with one finger, then his. Most of these tests were just annoying.

"Seems like it didn't mess anything up too badly, but I don't feel comfortable leaving you alone until I know that it's completely out of your system. That could take two or three days depending on how much you were given. Do you have anyone you could stay with?"

Rhia shook her head, "Family's dead, and I don't have any friends here."

"Is there anyone nearby? I don't want to make you uncomfortable by crashing in your house."

She shook her head again, "I don't mind letting you stay here for a few days. In fact, I agree with what you're saying. I don't want to be left alone either."

Dean jumped up and took Rhia's hand with surprising gentleness, "Okay. Then I'll stay here. You good to walk?"

She nodded yet again, but when he pulled her to her feet, she stumbled and fell against his chest, "Never mind, then," she muttered before staring up at him in concern, "My feet are numb."

"I think that's a side effect of the drug. Based on that and how fast it took effect, you probably got drugged with Ketamine."

Rubbing her temple with the hand that wasn't clutching Dean's, Rhia glanced up at him, "Okay, good. But how am I supposed to get from here to, say, the kitchen?"

The green-eyed man chuckled heartily, "I'm liking you more and more, Rhia. Two options. One: We take it slow and I make sure you don't fall. Two: I just carry you. The second one won't take as long."

Being the stubborn, independent woman that she was, Rhia grudgingly accepted being helped down the hall. She didn't even want that much assistance, but she knew that she wasn't going to get anywhere on her own.

Standing behind her, Dean held her hand and waist as he guided her down to the kitchen, where she practically collapsed into a chair.

"You hungry? I make a killer omelette," Rhia nodded quickly and Dean chuckled again, "I'll cook. Don't go anywhere, okay?" he teased. Before he did cook, though, he handed Rhia a big glass of water and ordered her to drink the whole thing.

When he emerged from the kitchen with the two steaming plates of food, Rhiannon was slumped over on the table, asleep.

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><p><strong>Hoped you liked it so far! Don't forget to favourite, follow and review! Even if all they say is "sup", reviews seriously make my day.<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

_When he emerged from the kitchen with the two steaming plates of food, Rhiannon was slumped over the table, asleep._

Dean smiled to himself for a moment, watching the steady rise and fall of the girl's shoulders as she breathed. Now that he wasn't terrified that she might not wake up, he was starting to notice how beautiful she was; almost like a doll.

He didn't move for a moment, until the plates in his hands started to burn his palms and he didn't have a choice but to put them down and lay a hand on the sleeping girl's shoulder. She jumped and bolted upright, flailing her arm to attack him.

"Easy, Rhia. It's just me," he reassured, putting both of his hands in the air near his face.

"I didn't hear you come out of the kitchen," she practically whispered.

Dean chuckled, "You were asleep. And I have mad ninja skills," that drew a giggle from Rhia, even if it was short lived. He slid her plate in front of her with a soft smile, "Eat."

They did exactly that, Dean occasionally asking Rhia how she was feeling at what seemed to her like random intervals. By the time they had finished, she was sleepy again. So sleepy, in fact, that she didn't even argue when Dean picked her up and carried her down the hall, tucking her into bed.

He was surprised at how she clung to him while he carried her, like she was afraid of being dropped. When they made it into her bedroom, he had to pry her fingers from his shirt. After that she simply curled into a ball under the blankets.

Dean spent the next few minutes washing up the dishes and putting together a list of things to do. He would definitely have to check on Rhia at least a few times in the next couple hours, and he'd have to make sure that the house was completely locked up and that she was stocked on groceries for the next couple days. From what he had seen, she was good on dairy and vegetables, but there wasn't a scrap of meat in the entire house. That just wouldn't do.

After he'd written out a list of everything they'd have to buy, he settled on the couch with his gun in his hand while he stood watch. He just couldn't shake this feeling that something really bad was going to happen if he wasn't on guard.

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><p>A couple hours later, Rhia practically dragged herself down the hall, collapsing halfway through. Dean jumped up and was at her side faster than he'd ever thought possible. But, when he took her arms to haul her to her feet, Rhia pulled out of his grasp.<p>

"I can do it by myself," she snapped, "I don't need your help for everything."

Dean blinked at her in confusion, then he realized how independent she must be. Hell, she was at the damn bar all by herself. Getting help with everything must be actually terrible. So, he let go and sat back against the wall.

"Let me know if you change your mind," he said, watching her struggle to push herself up off the floor. It took everything he had not to ignore her stubbornness and just help her up, but he had to respect her pride, at least a little.

Minutes passed, until Dean was starting to consider screwing Rhia's independent streak. She had managed to pull herself into a sitting position, but the drug had left her tiny body so weak that getting any further than that was next to impossible. As much as Dean didn't like what she was doing, he understood it. It was hard to ask for help.

After ten minutes, Rhia stopped struggling and curled into a ball on the floor. Dean glanced up, concerned that she might be sick or in pain, but he couldn't tell with her head buried in her knees. He studied what he could see and quickly realized that her shoulders were shaking with little sobs.

Crying girls weren't anything he wasn't used to dealing with, but normally he was on the other end of an FBI badge, working a case. It had never been his job to _comfort_ them, just hand them a tissue at the most. But he couldn't do that here. This wasn't just get the information and leave 'em to grieve, this girl was under his care right now.

Rhia curled up tighter, sniffling quietly, and a feeling of self-loathing washed over him. What the hell was he doing? He crawled over so that he was sitting beside her and awkwardly placed a hand on her back, rubbing gentle circles. She tensed under his touch at first, not relaxing for a couple seconds.

"I'm so fucking helpless," she finally sobbed, "I would've been so helpless."

Dean didn't know what to do, so he did the first thing that came into his mind and pulled her into his arms, cradling the girl's slight form against his chest, "It's okay now. Everything's gonna be okay now."

They sat there for well over an hour, Rhia sobbing her fears into Dean's chest, Dean holding her and whispering reassurances. Honestly, he thought the whole thing looked like a scene from a chick flick, but he didn't really mind it all that much. As long as Rhia felt better.

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><p>Dean slept on the couch that night, but he didn't sleep much. Every couple of hours, he would jolt awake, afraid that someone had broken in while he dozed. Rhia didn't know he was there; she had fallen asleep hours ago in his arms. The damn drug had taken so much out of her.<p>

At about 2 am, he checked on Rhia, who was sleeping somewhat fitfully. He didn't wake her, but stroking her hair a couple times seemed to quell the nightmare. The house was still locked. She was still safe.

Settling back down on the couch, Dean tried to reason with himself. _The house is still locked, Rhia's safe. Nobody's here._

_**She could've been raped**__, _a little voice reasoned in the back of his head, _**just like that woman. You couldn't save **_**her.**

_I was just a kid. I couldn't have saved her._

_**THAT'S NO EXCUSE!**_ Dean winced out loud at the intensity of his own mind, _**All you had to do was go get Dad, but you were too **_**scared. **_**Like a little bitch. **_

_He was drinking, you know what that would've meant. He wouldn't have been careful. People would've noticed the marks._

_**You let a woman be raped and **_**murdered **_**because you were too scared of Dad taking a couple of swings at you? You're pathetic.**_

_I was ten years old!_

_**You watched her die. You stood over her and she begged you to save her. But you didn't even speak.**_

_I didn't know what to do. It wasn't my fault. It wasn't my fault._

_**You stood there and watched the life drain out of her and you can't even remember her name. You're just as responsible as the guy who killed her.**_

"I'm sorry!" he cried aloud, tears starting to form in his eyes. Blinking fast, he buried his face in his hands and tried to control his breathing. He had messed up that night in the alley, and an innocent woman had been murdered because of it. That wouldn't happen with Rhia.

It wasn't that he had feelings for the woman. Sure, she was hot, but that wasn't why he was being so protective of her. Honestly, seeing the drug take hold on her had terrified him and brought him back to that day in the alley. If that ever happened again, he didn't know how he'd survive it.

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><p><strong>Hello my lovelies! Back by popular demand (i.e. the four wonderful people who followedfavourited), here is Chapter 2 of Stay. I have decided that this will indeed be a multi-chapter story, although Wayward Child is my main project. This is going to be on the metaphorical back burner, but I promise you that it will not be neglected. I swear on my dead fish's soul that I will update this story.**

**I modeled the whole argument between Dean and his inner self hate voice after the confrontation in **_**I Dream a Little Dream of Me. **_**Let me know what you think of it. :)**

**Don't forget to favourite, follow and review! Reviews make me happier than a puppy after his first snowstorm. (don't question these. they're weird)**


	3. Chapter 3

Rhia woke up in her bed the next morning, already having decided that she absolutely _was not_ going to call Dean, no matter how hard it was for her to walk on her own. Sitting up somewhat groggily, she swung her legs onto the floor and cautiously stood up.

The numbness was gone, and about time too. Taking a slow step forward, she let go of the bedpost and started to get dressed. It felt wonderful to be back on her own feet without anyone holding her up. Plus she'd been too shy to change in front of Dean, and she hadn't been able to do anything on her own yesterday.

After she got ready, Rhia went out into living room where she found Dean sleeping on the couch. She expected him to look peaceful, but he didn't. His arms were crossed protectively over his chest, and his face was contorted like he was in pain. Even still, Rhia couldn't help but stand there and watch him sleep for a moment until a quiet whimper escaped his lips.

Gently rubbing his shoulder, she tried to coax Dean from his nightmare. It didn't take long. After about three seconds, Dean shot up and grabbed Rhia by her throat. When he saw who he was attacking, he quickly released her with a string of apologies.

"I'm so sorry, Rhia. I was sleeping and I didn't realize it was you. I thought-"

"You don't have to explain yourself to me," she interrupted, "I'm fine. Must've been some nightmare, though."

He nodded, swallowing thickly and jumping up, "So I see you're back on your feet."

Rhia forced a grin, despite the worry that was building up. She knew the signs of emotional trauma all too well, and Dean may have been good at hiding it, but they were there. What had happened to this man?

Even still, if he didn't want to talk about it, she wasn't going to force him, "Indeed, I am. And _I _am going to make _us _some breakfast."

Dean chuckled, clearly appreciating her dropping the nightmare, "Are you now?"

"Yes, I am," she placed her hands on her hips, "Why don't you watch TV or something while I do that? I don't have cable, but I do have Netflix."

Dean shrugged, "Alright, but let me know if you need any help."

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><p>Twenty minutes later, Rhia emerged with two small stacks of pancakes covered in blueberries, "Breakfast's ready, Dean!" she sang. Dean hopped up to take one of the plates and sit her down next to him on the sofa. It was surprising how easily they functioned together, considering the fact that they'd only known each other for a couple days.<p>

And, now that she wasn't terrified anymore, Rhia was starting to notice things about Dean. Little, insignificant things like the way his eyes twinkled when he laughed, the curve of his smile. Much more important things; the shape of his body, the way he wrapped himself around her when he held her. And the sad look he got when he thought nobody could see.

She had heard him last night, crying out and begging for forgiveness. From what, Rhia didn't know, but she had wanted nothing more than to go to him and hold him the way he'd held her earlier that night. But she'd known she'd be too weak to make it to him, and why force him to rescue her too when he was already in so much pain?

Now they were sitting on her couch, still a little warm from when he had slept on it the night before, eating blueberry pancakes and watching _Sherlock_ like they'd been best friends for years. Dean was acting like he was perfectly fine, and Rhia was struggling to let him be and not confront him about what she'd heard the night before. He didn't seem like a big fan of talking about his feelings.

"So, Dean," she asked when they'd both finished, "Do you have any stuff that you want to go get?"

Dean tried to mask the flicker of hurt that went through him. She wanted him to leave, "Naw, I didn't bring anything with me. My car's just at the bar we were at. I can get going."

"No!" Rhia exclaimed before collecting herself again, "I mean, you don't have to go. I was just asking if there was something that you might want to bring over here. Like a change of clothes or something."

"Oh," a grin tugged at the corners of Dean's mouth. She actually wanted him to stay, "Yeah, I've got some clothes and stuff in my car."

Rhia nodded and jumped up off the couch, "Well then, why don't you grab a shower and I'll find you something to wear while we go get them?"

"You got something? I'm just warning you, floral is not a good pattern on me," he joked. She giggled in response, "I've got some stuff that might fit you."

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><p>Five minutes later, Rhia knocked on the bathroom door with a clean t-shirt and sweatpants. The door opened just enough for Dean to peek through and take them, and Rhia struggled to keep her eyes off his chiseled chest while he did.<p>

Another twenty minutes went by and Dean came out dressed in the clothes Rhia had given him.

"How do they fit?"

He shrugged, "They're a little big, but they'll work. Whose are they?"

Rhia smiled sadly, "They were my brother's."

Dean nodded and put an arm around her shoulders, "You wanna come with me or stay here?" he wasn't about to start prying.

"I'll go with you," she answered, "I don't really wanna be by myself."

He didn't ask for any explanation after that. They just started walking to the bar, his arm draped protectively around her shoulders.

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><p>When the pair reached the Impala, Rhia let out a low whistle.<p>

"This is yours?" Dean nodded with a grin.

"Yup," he patted the roof, "She may be old, but she's still the most badass thing I've ever seen."

"She?"

"What?" he demanded with mock offense, "You're telling me that you have never decided that something was too dear to be called 'it'?"

Rhia shook her head with a laugh before climbing into the passenger's seat. Dean followed, starting the engine. Music started pouring from the stereo, and Rhia clapped her hands over her ears.

"_Taste me you will see, More is all you need, Dedicated to, how I'm killing you."_

Dean adjusted the knob, "Now you're telling me you don't like Metallica?"

Rhia shrugged. She wasn't about to tell Dean what he couldn't play in his car, "It was just really loud and I wasn't expecting it. That's all."

The ride was quiet for a second, until the awkward tension settled. Then Dean started quietly singing along. By the time they got back to Rhia's house, he was singing loudly and making outrageous faces while Rhia giggled in the passenger's seat.

_This is nice, _she thought as Dean shut off the car. She didn't know it, but Dean was thinking the exact same thing, praying that she wouldn't ask him to leave just yet.

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><p><strong>Hi guys! I thought that I had updated this, but apparently I just uploaded it to Doc Manager. Silly Tasha. Anyway, this chapter was pure fluff because I used it to try and cheer myself up after a crappy day at school.<strong>

**As always, don't forget to favourite, follow and review. Reviews make me happy than a chocoholic at Hershey's!**


	4. Chapter 4

Dean had been staying with Rhia for just over two weeks now. He didn't know why; it didn't even seem like something that he should be interested in doing. He was a love 'em and leave 'em kind of guy. One night, no breakfast, no strings attached. Not to mention that he hadn't even tried to climb into Rhia's bed, not even once.

They had quickly fallen into a steady rhythm together. Every morning, Dean made them breakfast while Rhia got ready to go to work at the diner down the street. They'd eat together, he'd see her off, then he'd watch TV for an hour or so before busying himself with cleaning or cooking. She'd never asked him to do anything, but it seemed right and Rhia seemed to like coming home to a clean house with a hot meal on the table.

What were scaring him, though, were the feelings that were starting to bubble up. From the very start, Dean had noticed that she was sexy, but he hadn't noticed what made her beautiful. Things like the swell of her breasts or the curve of her waist had been what first caught his eye, but he hadn't paid much attention to the things that were starting to captivate him now. The sparkle in her eyes, the sound of her laugh, the way she tucked the always-in-the-way lock of hair behind her ear.

He shouldn't be feeling things like that. He wasn't _allowed_ to feel things like that. All the times in the past that he'd let himself have feelings for anyone, it had never ended well. Sometimes they even ended in death. No, he couldn't let that happen to Rhia. She was special. She was worth so much more, she deserved so much more than anything he could give her.

A sharp sting brought him back from his thoughts. Dean set down the knife he was using to chop a zucchini and stared at the little wound on his finger. It wasn't too deep, just a nick deep enough for a couple drops of blood, but it reminded him of the life he had been living before. All the blood and the pain and the fear and the blood. God, there was so much blood. He had hated it; he still hated it. But, it was the life he'd been raised in.

A week ago, he couldn't have imagined anything different, but now he didn't want to go back to it. He wanted this life. The one he had started building with Rhia, even if it was just starting out. He wanted to spend his afternoons chopping zucchini and watching TV while the only woman in his life slowly fell asleep against his side. He wanted to get a normal job. Hell, maybe he would even go back to school. He wanted to go to bed every night knowing that there would be someone to wake him up when his mind tried to tear him apart in his sleep. Was that so wrong?

Maybe it was. Maybe it would be better for them both if he just packed up his few belongings and left in the middle of the night.

The front door slammed shut and Dean heard light footsteps running down the hall into the bathroom. He checked the clock; Rhia wasn't supposed to be home for another two hours. So why was her purse slung by the front door?

Dean stood in front of the bathroom door, "Rhia?"

No response.

"Rhia, open the door."

Still nothing, aside from the brief running of a faucet. Worry was quickly wearing on his nerves.

"Rhia, open the door or I'm breaking it down." This time the lock clicked open and the door swung open. Rhia stood, topless, facing away from him. Her arms were wrapped protectively around herself, shoulders shaking just a little.

"Rhia?" he asked gently, "What happened?" Rhia shook her head, but refused to elaborate. Dean needed to see what was going on, but even he knew better than to turn her to face him. A ball of acid had gathered in his gut, waiting to be expelled if the answer was what he feared it might be. Then he saw the angry red patch curving around her torso.

"Baby, what happened? Who hurt you?" he begged gently. It took every ounce of his self control to keep him from shouting, he was so angry, "Show me what happened."

She finally turned around, arms crossed protectively over her bare breasts. Dean's eyes widened as he saw the ugly burn covering the right side of her chest and stomach. He was going to _brutally_ murder whoever had done this.

"Some jackass thought his soup was too hot and decided it would look good on my uniform," she explained while Dean turned on the shower.

"Well he was wrong," he muttered. Stepping into the freezing water, Dean pulled the burned woman in with him so that she faced into the stream.

"You have to put your arms down so that you can get cooled down," he gently reminded her. She shook her head and he revised, "I'm not in here to check you out, I'm in here in case you go into shock."

Slowly, as if she didn't believe him, Rhia lowered her arms, hissing and grabbing onto Dean's wrists when the icy water touched her exposed breasts. Her grip was tight, so much so that Dean was sure he'd have little bruises later on, but he didn't move except to lock eyes with her.

Dean Winchester was not any good at communicating without words. He was terrible at giving reassurances and worse at asking for help, but he hoped to God that she heard what he was trying to tell her. He was a broken man who had managed to be at the right place at the right time, and this brilliant woman had taken him in. She was worth more than she knew, more than he could measure, and unless she decided she didn't want him, he would stay with her for as long as he could stand to.

Rhiannon Walker held his life in her little hands.

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><p><strong>Yet another "Cheer myself up after a crappy day" chapter. School sucks. I apologize if this is a bit too sappy for you guys, but I really wanted to write something super sappy for some reason, so you get this. I know I said that this was going to be on the "back burner", but I guess the inspiration fairy is just with this story right now. <strong>

**As always, don't forget to favourite, follow and review. Reviews make me happier than a duckling in a puddle!**


	5. Chapter 5

A couple of days after the shower incident, Rhia awoke in her bed to Dean's screams. She'd heard his nightmares before on the first night he slept there, but these were different. They sounded more broken, more hollow, echoing through the little apartment like a siren.

She couldn't listen to it. Blinking back tears, Rhia tore off her blankets and rushed down the little hallway to kneel beside the sleeping man. He moaned again, crying out apologies and begging for forgiveness from something that she couldn't see. She shook his shoulders and called his name, but he only lashed out, probably thinking that she was a part of his nightmare.

Dean thrashed in his sleep, begging for the pain to stop. It was too much. Tears sprung to Rhia's eyes and in a moment of desperation, she crashed her lips against his in an attempt to pull him from his dream. It worked, and after a moment of stillness he gently kissed her back.

"What's that for?" he asked, wide eyed, after they'd pulled away.

Rhia shook her head, "I couldn't wake you up."

Dean pulled himself up onto his elbows, scrubbing a hand down his face, "Glad it worked."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No."

"Do you want me to leave you alone?"

"No."

He was shutting down. Rhia could see that. Whatever he had dreamt, it had been horrible enough to affect him like this, but he still wanted to keep it a secret for some reason. She placed her hand over his and squeezed it gently to get his attention. He looked up at her, eyes still wild with fear, "Come stay with me tonight." She stood up, tugging at him to follow. He did, staring at their hands, and Rhia led him to her bed.

They curled up, both clinging to their own side of the bed. Rhia was perfectly comfortable, but Dean was still uneasy from the dream he'd had.

"Can I hold you?" he whispered so quietly that Rhia wasn't sure she'd heard anything at all.

"What'd you say?"

"Nothing, nevermind."

Rhia turned over to face him and propped herself up on her elbow, "No, tell me what you need."

Dean didn't repeat the question for a few moments. Dean Winchester did not ask to cuddle. He asked for sex or booze to forget his problems. He did not seek comfort for them, but right now he really needed it.

When he did finally manage to coax the question out of himself again, he expected Rhia to turn him down. She had already given him so much, it wasn't fair of him to ask for any more. But she didn't. Much to Dean's surprise, she laid a hand on his shoulder, gently turning him onto his back. Then she pressed a gentle kiss onto his jaw and curled up in his arms.

Dean held her, tightening his grip every now and then as flashbacks raced through his mind. Every time, Rhia would rub soothing circles into his chest and whisper reassurances, wishing to God that she could take away his pain. Her ministrations put him to sleep eventually, but she stayed awake for a long time after. What if he woke up from another nightmare and didn't want to wake her? It seemed like something he would do. She couldn't let that him deal with it alone, not when whatever it was was so horrible.

Sleep won over, though, and Rhia was asleep when the birds started coming out.

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><p>Dean woke up warm and comfortable, but he didn't really know where he was. Then it came rushing back to him. The nightmare, Rhia. They hadn't done anything, had they? No, he could still feel his sweatpants. Had they really kissed? Why would she kiss him of all people? It couldn't have happened. He must've dreamt it.<p>

Rhia was curled up on his chest. He remembered his first night here when he'd sat waiting for her to wake up from her drug induced haze. He'd been terrified that she might not wake up, that she might die under his watch like so many others had before. She had looked peaceful then, but now her eyebrows were scrunched up, her mouth tensed just a little.

She'd probably ask him about what he'd dreamt about when she woke up. He knew that, but he wouldn't be able to tell her anything. If he did, she'd probably think he was nuts. There was still someone he could talk to.

Gently as he could, Dean lifted Rhia off his chest and laid her on the mattress next to him. Trying not to shift the bed too much, he got up and shut the door behind him before pulling out his cell phone. His heart sank when he saw that there were no calls from Dad, even though he hadn't touched it in almost three weeks. Dean called someone else though.

It rang three times before a groggy voice answered, "Sam Winchester."

"Sammy?" something creaked suddenly on the other end, and he could picture his brother jumping up out of bed to go somewhere private.

"Dean?" the younger man sounded much more awake now, "Are you alright? Did something happen?"

"No, nothing happened," he hesitated, swallowing the lump that had started to form in his throat, "I just really wanted to hear your voice, man."

"Dean, tell me what happened."

He chuckled nervously, "It was nothing, just a stupid dream. I just wanted to check on you. Anyway, how's school?"

Sam sighed, clearly not buying it, "School's fine. What was your dream about?"

"That hunt in Tacoma, the one with the witch," he explained with a sigh after some coaxing from Sam.

"I remember. Bitch stabbed me in the chest."

Dean nodded even though he knew Sam couldn't see him, "You were so small back then and there was so much blood. We thought you were gonna die."

"But I didn't," Sam cut him off before he could really start rambling. "You got me to a hospital and I'm fine now. Dean, what's going on? Are you on a hunt?"

"No, I'm not. I just worry about you, you know? You're by yourself there." Sam chuckled on the other line.

"Dean, I'm on a college campus, and when I'm not, my apartment is never really empty. I'm not by myself."

_But I'm not there to keep you safe, _he argued to himself before clearing his throat, "I know. I just miss you, man."

Sam sighed again, sounding almost dejected, "I know. I miss you too."

An awkward silence filled the space. Sam cleared his throat, "Why don't you come for a visit this weekend?"

The younger man couldn't see it, but Dean's eyes lit up at the thought of seeing his baby brother, "Absolutely!" he exclaimed before clearing his throat and giving a much more relaxed, "I mean, yeah, sure. If you want me to."

"Yeah," Sam chuckled, "I do. I'll text you my address and you can come on Saturday."

"You do that," Dean replied. They made to hang up until Dean remembered Rhia in the next room. But by the time he had called, "Wait, Sammy" down the line, it had already clicked dead. Groaning, he opened the text with Sam's address and sent one of his own.

**Im bringin a girl with me.**

Sam texted back within a few seconds.

_**U cannot have sex in my house. I will kick u out.**_

**Ive bn livin w/ her 4 lyk 3 weeks. Not had sex yet, but i wnt u 2 meet her.**

_**Ur living w/ a girl?!**_

Dean practically giggled before texting back, **Yes. And i rly lyk her.**

_**Wat abt Dad?**_

**Hasnt called.**

Sam took so long to reply back that Dean was sure he'd walked away.

_**Fine, but NO SEX IN MY HOUSE.**_

**Lol i hear u.**

"Who's got you grinning like a teenager with their first crush?"

Dean whirled around to see Rhia standing in the doorway, holding her cellphone up .

"Did you take a picture of me?" he demanded. She shrugged, "You were cute."

She crossed the room in a couple of steps and wrapped her arms around his waist, placing a gentle kiss on his cheek. He couldn't help staring down at her lips for a moment, wondering if they had really kissed the night before.

"Are you okay-er now?" asked Rhia, looking up at his eyes. He swallowed thickly and nodded. "Good. I was worried last night."

A moment of silence passed. God, there were a lot of those. Rhia didn't seem to mind too much, though.

As she was walking away to make some coffee, Dean finally managed to blurt out what he'd bee trying to say during their awkward silence, "Would you come with me to visit my brother?"

Rhia turned to stare at him. She knew he had a younger brother, but Dean rarely talked about him. He'd only actually brought his brother up once, when he was talking about learning to cook. He must've taken her staring as saying that she wasn't interested because he stuttered, "Sorry, driving is just boring when you're on your own and I thought that you might want to go for a little road trip."

She shook her head, "Liar."

"Yeah, a bit, but I get it if you don't want to go. I just thought that you might have wanted to get out of town for a couple of days," he explained, rubbing the back of his head uncomfortably. He half wished that he hadn't asked Rhia out loud. Why should she want to go anywhere with him?

Rhia saw all of this in his face. He felt guilty for even asking and he was terrified that she'd say no. Truth be told, she really did want to go. Dean missed his brother. Rhia could see that plain as day, written all over his face. He didn't want to go alone, in case something went wrong and he got kicked out.

"Sure," she said. Dean looked so surprised it hurt. "I've gotta run it by my boss, but of course I'll go with you."

"Great," he nodded so fast she thought his head might come off. "Great, we'll leave on Friday."

They both knew that they'd have to talk about the night before sooner rather than later, but for now they were both perfectly content with acting like it had never happened.

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><p><strong>Hey guys! I know this chapter is super long, but I couldn't seem to split it up in a way that I liked. <strong>

**Also, if you are following Wayward Child: The new chapter is super late. I finished it last night, and then my computer decided that it wanted to delete the whole thing. I'll try my best to have it rewritten and up ASAP, but yeah.**

**As always, don't forget to favourite, follow and review. Reviews make me happier than a hippo at dinnertime!**


	6. Chapter 6

Friday rolled around faster than they expected. Rhia's boss had given her the time off without even bothering to ask questions, and Dean was more than excited to see his brother. The morning of, Rhia packed a bag and waited by the front door, but Dean was sitting in the bedroom.

"Hey," she knocked on the doorframe. "You ready to go see your brother?"

Dean shook his head, "Maybe this is a bad idea."

Rhia quietly sat down beside him and squeezed his shoulder, waiting for him to continue. "I mean, he walked out on us once. Why would he want to see me again?"

"Why wouldn't he?" she asked gently. "You're his family."

"Yeah, well, he doesn't really want much part in his family."

"And what do you want?" Rhia wondered, "Forget about what your brother is interested in for now. Just tell me what _you_ want."

There was a minute of silence while Dean figured out how to answer. Then he looked up at her, "I want to see my brother."

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><p>They drove for about seven hours, only stopping once or twice for food and gas. Most of the drive, they just chattered about random things, one of which included arguing about the presence of "subtext" in <em>Sherlock.<em>

Dean stopped at a motel at around midnight. He left Rhia in the car to sleep while he checked in, and when he returned, he found her curled up on the bench, snuggled into the leather jacket he'd left abandoned on the seat. Seeing her brought a smile to Dean's face. She was adorable.

Putting her head in his lap, he parked the car and took her inside. Once she was tucked into the bed, he went back and got their bags. When he got back and locked up, though, he couldn't sleep. For once, the problem wasn't worry. It was excitement.

He hadn't seen Sam in over a year, and their last meeting hadn't been exactly pleasant. He'd driven his little brother to the bus stop without a word, biting back tears at the prospect of his family being torn apart. Sam had been crying too, and Dean had been too hung up in his own pain to comfort him. Now, if everything went well, he might just get his little brother back.

Rhia woke up after about an hour of pacing and muted infomercials. She didn't say anything, but she stood up and literally dragged him into the bed with her, snuggling into his chest once they'd laid down.

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><p>"Maybe we shouldn't go in."<p>

"_Dean._"

"Seriously, he probably only asked me to come because he felt bad right then."

"Well, we're here now, and he's your _brother_. Have a little faith in him."

"Yeah, it's just -"

Dean's argument was cut off by a knock at the window. Looking up, he saw his brother leaning over the driver's side window with a goofy grin on his face, "You comin' in or are you just gonna sit there?"

The older man practically jumped out before wrapping his arms around his brother. It was heartwarming, neither Rhia nor the woman in the doorway could keep from smiling.

After they let go of each other, Sam put his arm around the other woman, "Dean, this is my girlfriend, Jessica. Jess, this is Dean."

She stepped forward and shook Dean's hand, "Sam's told me a lot about you."

"Has he now?"

Jess nodded, "Oh, yeah. He never shuts up about you."

After that, Dean introduced Rhia and the three of them headed up the stairs to the tiny apartment. It was warm and cozy inside, as opposed to the chilly autumn air outside. The couple had made pizza for lunch. Between the two men, it was gone within a few minutes. Then Sam and Dean went into the living room to catch up while Rhia and Jess chatted in the kitchen.

"So, how'd you meet her?" Dean asked, nodding towards the girls. He'd noticed how his brother's eyes lit up when he talked about his girlfriend.

"My friend, Brady, introduced us at a party," he said. "Neither of us were having a very good time, so we went to get coffee."

"Does she know?" Dean wondered.

"Does Rhia?" Sam sighed, "No, of course she doesn't know."

"Sam, you need to tell her if she's going to be in your life."

"And what if I don't?" he snapped. "Dean, I'm done with hunting. Okay? I'm out. I'm going to school, hell I've got a job. I just need to put that stuff behind me."

Dean huffed an angry breath, "You will never be out, Sammy. You're in too deep. Sooner or later, something will happen and you won't have a choice but to start up again, and if you don't tell her, she's going to get hurt."

"I won't hurt her, Dean. I love her."

"A werewolf won't consider that when it's chewing her heart out," anger flashed in Sam's eyes, turning into a deep hurt once a moment had passed, and Dean realized how what he'd said had sounded. "Sammy, man, I'm not trying to upset you or talk you into hunting again. What I'm saying is that we're dangerous. If she doesn't know how to protect herself from all the shit out there, she's going to get killed."

"There are millions of people who don't know about the supernatural, and they're just fine."

"Well, they're not with Winchesters."

Jess knocked on the doorframe, "Hey guys."

Sam ushered her into the room and she sat on his lap while Rhia settled beside Dean. The four of them fell into a pleasant conversation about snippets of Sam and Dean's childhood, but there was a bit of tension underneath. Every story told was chosen carefully, and Dean tried to insert their father into the picture whenever he could. Even still, Rhia noticed some things not adding up.

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><p>They stayed up until around one o'clock, when Jess yawned and went to make up the spare bed for Dean and Rhia. Dean followed her, leaving Rhia with Sam for a few minutes.<p>

"So, how is it living with Dean these days? He still a pain in the ass?" Sam asked playfully. Giggling, Rhia shook her head before sobering.

"Sam, what happened between you two? He's barely mentioned you, and he got so sad when he did. I thought you had died."

He sighed, wringing his hands in his lap, "My father wanted us both to continue on the family business, but I wanted to go to college. He told me that if I walked out the door to never come back, and I did."

Rhia was stunned. What kind of a father could do that to his own son? No wonder Dean was so quiet about his brother. Based on what he'd shown over the past month or so, he probably blamed himself for it.

God, she was going to have to talk to him about this.

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><p><strong>Hello, my lovelies. I don't really have anything that I desperately need to inform you of, so let's cut to the conclusion.<strong>

**As always, don't forget to favourite, follow and review. Reviews make me happier than a leprechaun with a pot o' gold!**


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